After the May 17 evening performance of Broadway's The Phantom of the Opera, Howard McGillin will turn his mask over to another actor — John Cudia — for two months.

Howard McGillin as The Phantom of the Opera.
Photo by Joan Marcus

With a record-breaking tally of over 2,000 performances, McGillin has played the title role more than any other performer on Broadway. John Cudia (a vet of the Broadway and touring productions) takes over May 22-July 26 while McGillin focuses on a film job. Understudies will cover the role May 19-21.

During his time away from the show, Tony Award nominee McGillin will (among other things) shoot the film "All Good Things" starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst. He will return as The Phantom on July 28, after Cudia's final performance on Saturday evening, July 26. McGillin's Tony nominations were for his work in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Anything Goes.

Cudia, the masked man on the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera, previously played the romantic leading role of Raoul in the Harold Prince-directed Broadway production, and covered the role of The Phantom for two-and-a-half years.

Cudia first joined the national tour in November 1999 as a swing and cover for the leading role of Raoul. After eight months he took over as Raoul, which he played from July 2000 through March 2002, earning a National Broadway Touring Award nomination. It was on this tour that he performed opposite his future wife, Broadway actress Kathy Voytko.

In October 2002 he joined the Broadway company as Raoul, a role that he would play in New York for over 750 performances, through May 2005. He next took over as The Phantom on the national tour in April 2006, playing it for nearly 700 performances, through November 2007.

Having also performed in the Broadway cast of Les Misérables (during its original run), Cudia holds the distinction of being the only actor to have played both major leading roles of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and the title role in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Cameron Mackintosh produced both shows.

Cudia most recently played Jean Valjean in the Les Miz at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago, one of only five regional theatres in the United States to win the rights to perform the show. His resume includes such leading roles as tenor Tony Candolino in Master Class (Portland Stage), the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar (Carousel Theater), Freddy in My Fair Lady (Westchester Broadway Theater) and Lt. Cable in South Pacific opposite Cathy Rigby (Casa Manana), as well as in productions at Paper Mill Playhouse, North Shore Music Theater, Pioneer Theater and St. Louis Repertory. His concert appearances include The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber with Liz Callaway and Alice Ripley and performing as a featured tenor soloist with the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea in his home state of New Jersey. Cudia earned his BA from Fordham University.

Phantom — the longest-running show in Broadway history — continues at the Majestic Theatre. For ticket information visit telecharge.com or call (212) 239-6200, or visit www.thephantomoftheopera.com.